“Again, no.” Natasha pretends to ignore Mom’s gaze scanning her from head to toe. “I’m going for the effortlessly chic look, emphasis on the effortless. You should try it. Once you wear athleisure and no makeup, there’s really no going back.”

The steely look in Mom’s eyes makes Natasha think she’s getting ready to run after her with tweezers or a mascara wand.

But Mom just sighs. “Fine. If you go to the laundry room, you’ll see two gift bags by the sink. Can you go get them for me? They’re saris for Anita Auntie.”

“You got her saris just because?” Natasha asks.

Mom and Anita Auntie are always picking up little gifts for each other—lipsticks, novels with hot guys on the covers, spices from Patel Brothers—but saris are typically reserved for celebrations. When Natasha’s sister, Suhani, got married, the upstairs linen closet was stuffed with yards of jewel-toned fabrics.

“I picked them up from that new boutique in Decatur a couple of weeks ago,” Mom says. “Suhani wrapped them up nicely for me.”

Of course she did, Natasha thinks. Her sister comes home every other week and somehow has no problem helping out with the most boring tasks. Natasha feels pangs of guilt and peace at the reminder of Suhani taking on the responsibility of always being there for their parents, even though she’s married and works eighty hours a week.

“Okay, I’ll go get them later,” Natasha says.

“Get them now.” Even though Mom is still smiling, there’s an edge to her voice. “And then give them to Anita Auntie, okay?”

“Why did you get them for her?”

“Because she’ll like them, that’s why.”

“Okay.” Natasha drags out the latter syllable so it sounds like she’s saying “Okaaaay.”

She takes her time to walk to the other side of the first floor. The house hasn’t changed in years. Mom found a way to infuse personality into each room through a combination of colorful wallpapers, framed family photos, and soft yellow lighting. Every shelf is adorned with a mixture of statues of Hindu goddesses and souvenirs from trips around the world.

Natasha returns with the saris and hands them to Anita Auntie.

“Thank you, beta.” Anita Auntie leans forward to hug Natasha. “I can’t wait to wear these.”

She doesn’t seem surprised at all to get two bags of saris.

Before Natasha can ask anything, Anita Auntie turns to Mom and says, “Ah, Bina, the house still looks so festive. I can’t believe it’s already been two months since Suhani and Zack got married!”